UPIKE Athletics

Lucas is entering his sixth season as the Bears running backs coach at UPIKE. In 2019, Derius Gibson became the seventh running back under Lucas to earn All Mid-South Conference honors. Gibson rushed for 839 yards and 8 touchdowns averaging  5.1 yards per carrying on his way to be selected second team All Mid -South Conference. 

In 2018 UPIKE’s running back corps rushed for a combined total of 2,072 yards and 20 touchdowns, led by the dynamic duo of Willie McCloud and Xondre Willis. In the 2018 campaign, junior running back Xondre Willis became the first UPIKE running back to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.  Willis averaged 6.5 yards per carry for 1,129 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2018 which helped him garner for the second straight year a place on the first team All Mid-South Conference. Junior running back Willie McCloud, the other half of the dynamic duo, averaged 4.6 yards per carry for 611 yards and 5 touchdowns. McCloud scored his 17th career rushing touchdown against Bluefield College to move to 4th overall in the all-time record list. Willie McCloud was named second team All Mid-South for the second straight year.  The Dynamic Duo also was named to the 2019 Kentucky All Commonwealth team.
 
In March 2018, Lucas was promoted to Recruiting Coordinator for the Bears. Lucas is a native of Huntsville, Ala., where he attended Lee High School. He was a two-time all-city player who helped Lee to three city, county and state championships. After playing collegiately at Middle Tennessee State, Lucas finished his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Faulkner University. Lucas comes to UPIKE from Lyon College, where he also coached the running backs and Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., in the same role. While at Bethel, he coached the top punt returner in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. He also coached 1,000-yard, all-purpose running back Robert Smith.
 
Lucas has 11 years of coaching experience, including helping get two new programs off the ground in Lyon and Point University. He has coached at the prestigious Atlanta Sports Academy, a post-graduate program where he worked with former NCAA Division I quarterbacks Patrick Thomas of Louisville, Josh Hand of Mississippi State, and Shelton Willis of Bethune-Cookman. Lucas has two daughters, Alexia and Alisia.